November 03, 2004

"...For the Democratic Party, the devastation of Tuesday's returns cannot be minimized. The transformation of the "Solid South" from Democrat to Republican was completed. Not only were all 11 states of the old Confederacy carried by Bush, but the pickup of all five Senate seats left vacant by retiring Democrats means 18 of the region's 22 senators are Republican. Domination of Congress by the GOP now enters its second decade with Democrats largely restricted to enclaves on both coasts and some Midwestern industrial areas.

Democrats confront a grim future. Bush's 3.5-million-vote edge in the popular vote reflects a party out of touch with the country on social issues, the role of government and the war against terrorism. Democrats face the bitter reality of minority party status and what to do about it...

The electorate is simply too conservative for the Democrats, as shown by the defeat of Daschle in South Dakota. The formula of taking the straight liberal line in Washington and talking conservative at home does not work...

In the wake of Kerry's unimpressive candidacy, Democrats ponder the alternative of Howard Dean's radicalism that is even further removed from the political mainstream. The more attractive course would be a return to the artful Southerner model of Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton -- conservative in style, liberal in substance. But with the Republican sweep in Dixie, there are no such Democrats to choose from -- certainly not Sen. John Edwards, who as vice-presidential candidate exerted no impact in his own state of North Carolina. Sen. Hillary Clinton as the presidential nominee in 2008 would only compound the party's dilemma.

It is Republicans who would be facing internal carnage had Bush been defeated. Karl Rove would have been blamed for catering to the religious right, and the battle to moderate the party would be joined. Instead, the anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, socially conservative agenda is ascendant, and the GOP will not abandon it any time soon."

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Novak is a dumb ass

Posted by: Hanson at Nov 3, 2004 10:24:53 PM

If you want to know why Democrats got whipped like a rented mule Tuesday, you need to understand how things work. You need to watch Fox News. You need to listen to Rush Limbaugh and Neal Boortz. You need to follow websites like InstaPundit and Town Hall and Free Republic.